This was meant to be done with lamb shanks, but I found some bone-in "lamb pieces" and shoulder chops on sale, so I opted to use those instead. The shanks would have been lovely (and probably resulted in everyone getting a bit more meat), but these were tasty too. And a lot cheaper!

Citrus-Braised Lamb Shanks

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 123)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 lamb shanks, about 1 lb (450 g) each
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 3 small sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 c. dry white wine
• 1 c. chicken broth
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange

Directions

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat (preferably in a Dutch oven).
2. Season the shanks with salt and pepper.
3. Working in batches, sear the shanks, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 6–8 minutes. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F).
5. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil to the pot and place over medium-low heat.
6. Add the carrot, onion, and celery and sauté until softened (~5 minutes).
7. Add the thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
8. Add the wine, broth, and lemon and lime zests and juices.
9. Return the shanks to the pot and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
10. Cover and cook in the oven, turning the shanks every hour, until the meat is completely tender (2-3 hours).
11. Transfer the shanks to a platter and keep warm in the oven.
12. Pour the juices from the pot into a large, heatproof measuring pitcher and let stand for 1 minute. The fat will rise to the top. Use a bulb baster to transfer the juices underneath the fat to a small saucepan.
13. Simmer to reduce slightly. Stir in the orange zest and juice.
14. Drizzle the reduced juices over the lamb shanks and serve.

I picked up some lamb on sale the other day and wanted a nice vegetable side to go with it. I figured lamb and mint are often combined and zucchini has just come into season here, so this seemed like a natural pairing.

I wasn't able to find any yellow summer squash here, so I ended up using all zucchini, but that's not a huge deal. It mainly makes a difference to the aesthetics more than anything else.

Summer Squash Noodles with Mint Pesto

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p174)

Ingredients

• 1 c. (~45g) firmly packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/3 c. vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 3 yellow summer squash (~375g)
• 3 zucchini (~375g)
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine the mint, broth, Parmesan, garlic, and oil in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, cut the yellow squash and zucchini into long, narrow ribbons.
3. Pour enough oil into a large nonstick frying pan to film the bottom, and warm over medium heat.
4. Add the shallots and sauté until softened (~3 minutes).
5. Add the squash and thyme and season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Sauté until the squash is just tender (4-5 minutes).
7. Stir in the mint pesto and heat for 1 minute.
8. Remove from the heat, garnish with additional Parmesan, and serve.
9. Transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with additional cheese, and serve.

I usually make shaped scones and biscuits. But I was low on both time and counter space yesterday, so I decided to give these simple "drop scones" a try. The dough is very quick to toss together and then all it needs is for mounds of it to be spooned onto the baking sheet and a few minutes in the oven and you have nearly-instant scones!

The original recipe calls for a bit of sugar, but I decided to roll with an erythritol-based sweetener in order to make them sugar-free. Either one works fine. I also opted to omit the salt from the recipe and just use salted butter instead of the unsalted that the recipe called for. And, since I'm in NZ right now, I swapped out the all-purpose (moderate-protein) flour for plain (soft/low-protein) flour. In other cases, I might use "high grade" (hard/high-protein) flour as a closer equivalent to the all-purpose, but in the case of scones and biscuits, where you don't really want or need the gluten development anyway, I felt like soft flour would be the better choice.

Blueberry Drop Scones

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 250g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1/4 sugar¹
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 85g salted butter
• 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen)
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 c. milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Combine the flour and sugar.
3. Sift in baking powder and mix well.
4. Cut in the butter until blended.
5. Add the blueberries and toss to combine.
6. Beat the egg into the milk and then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix with a fork until just combined.
7. Spoon mounds of the dough onto a baking sheet. You should get ~12 scones.
8. Optionally sprinkle the top of each scone with a little extra sugar.
9. Bake at 220°C (425°F) until cooked through and just starting to brown (~12 minutes).
10. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

---

¹ Feel free to swap this out for a sugar-free sweetener of your choice. Just make sure that you adjust the amount accordingly if it's not a 1:1 substitute. ^Back

I had originally been planning on doing some braised potatoes to go with dinner, but I'd forgotten that the recipe I'd used for it before had a bunch of gochujang in it. And since I was cooking for folks who weren't really keen on spicy foods, I figured I'd better pick something else. And while getting the mixutre prepped for these pancakes is a bit annoying, they're not actually that difficult or complicated to make. And if you leave the chilies out (which are mostly there for aesthetics anyway) then they're a nice, mild, non-spicy option.

Everyone seemed to like them, especially the Kidlet. Honestly, I think the only change I'd make next time is to make a double batch! They went pretty fast and it would've been nice to have some leftovers.

Korean Potato Pancakes

From Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Pancakes

• 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
• 1/4 large yellow onion
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt (or chicken bouillon powder)
• 4 Tbsp. neutral-tasting oil, divided
• 1-2 sliced green and red chilies (optional)

Dipping Sauce

• 1 green chili
• 1 mild red chili
• 1/2 green onion
• 1/4 yellow onion
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2.5 tbsp white vinegar
• Small pinch of sugar

Directions

1. Cut the potatoes and onion into bite-sized pieces. Add them to a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour the potato mixture into a strainer and let it sit for 10 minutes until most of the water has drained.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the chili peppers and half of the green onion for the dipping sauce.
4. Cut the onion into bite-sized pieces.
5. Combine the chilies, onion, green onion, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, mix well, and set aside.
6. Once the potato starch has settled at the bottom of the strainer, gently pour out the excess water, leaving the wet starch behind. Add this back into the potato mixture. If needed, substitute with 1 tbsp of store-bought potato starch.
7. Add 1/4 tsp salt.
8. Heat 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a large pan over medium heat.
9. Once hot, scoop out some batter and add to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Optionally, place sliced chilies on top for decoration.
10. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter.
11. Arrange the pancakes on a plate. Serve with the dipping sauce, ensuring there are enough veggies in the sauce to enjoy as a garnish.

I forgot to take photos of these! They were so cute. And now they are all gone. Whoops!

Oh well... They just looked like a pretty standard, plain, flaky biscuit. I just wish I'd remembered to photograph them. They were nice. Fairly plain, but soft, buttery, and not too sweet, with just a hint of citrus from the lemon zest in them. Really lovely.

Lemon-Scented Biscuits

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 250g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt¹, ground (optional)
• 1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest²
• 70g butter
• 3/4 c. half-and-half (10% MF)³

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
2. Sift the baking powder in to the flour.
3. Add the sugar, salt (if using), and lemon zest and mix well.
4. Cut butter into dry ingredients until blended.
5. Add half-and-half and stir until just mixed.
6. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and press into a round 2-3cm thick.
7. Fold in quarters and press flat again. Repeat 2-3 more times.
8. Use a biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut into 5-6cm circles. (You should get about a dozen.)
9. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
10. If desired, brush with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar.³
11. Bake until just starting to colour on top (~12 minutes).

---

¹ If using salted butter, omit the salt here. If using unsalted butter, you may wish to add a small amount of salt. They don't need much, but a little pinch can be nice. ^Back
2 The original recipe only calls for 1 tsp. of lemon zest and that's what I used this time, but I think it would've been nice with a bit more, so I've upped it slightly here. ^Back
3 I usually mix my own half-and-half by combining whipping (35%) cream and milk. For this one, I decided to go a little light on the cream and heavy on the milk: more of a 1/3-to-2/3 than 1/2-and-1/2. ^Back
4 The original recipe didn't call for this step and I didn't do it this time around. But, having tasted them, I think they'd be quite nice with a little sprinkle of sugar on top. ^Back

Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Soy Sauce Eggs)

I was originally thinking of doing a rolled omelette to go with our Korean dinner. But, having taken a closer look at the recipes, I decided that these marinated eggs would actually work better. Both because I could prepare them ahead of time and because the marinade is useful in a variety of other recipes.

Mayak Eggs

From https://aaronandclaire.com/korean-marinated-eggs-mayak-eggs/

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Cheongyang chili pepper (or serrano, jalapeno, etc.), thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 mild red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-8 large eggs, hard- or soft-boiled

Directions

1. combine the soy sauce, water, sugar, vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and black pepper. Mix well.
2. Add the onion, chilies (if using), green onion, and garlic and stir to combine.
3. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gently add the eggs. Stir gently to center the yolks. Cook for 7 minutes for soft-boiled eggs.
4. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool completely. Once cooled, peel the eggs.
5. Add the peeled eggs to the marinade and gently stir to coat. Ensure they are fully submerged. If needed, stir halfway through marinating. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. To serve, place a marinated egg on top of hot steamed rice, drizzle with extra marinade, and add a touch of sesame oil. Enjoy!

Baingan Bhindi ki Subzi (Eggplant and Okra Curry)

Eggplant curries are apparently unheard of here in NZ! Indian cuisine and curries are common, just not eggplant ones. Which is fine, but was a little disappointing when I was craving a nice baingan bharta a few weeks ago. Eggplants are in season now though. And I have a curry cookbook! So I figured that it might be nice to make an eggplant curry to supplement our takeaway dinner last night.

I'm really happy with how this one came out. I mean, it's not may favourite curry or anything. It's not even my favourite eggplant curry. But it's very quick and easy to throw together and has an excellent deliciousness-to-effort ratio, so I was very happy with that. It also only needs a handful of spices: just fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, and some fresh chilies.

The original recipe calls for four fresh green Thai or serrano chilies. But due to Reiver's nightshade sensitivity, I wanted to limit it to just one chile in the dish. So I picked out a fairly serious-looking long red chile from the freezer and just tossed that in. It definitely had some kick to it! I quite liked the level of heat that the final dish came out with, but I think it may have been a bit too punchy for some of the others. So... adjust the type and number of chilies according to your taste. I enjoyed this as a somewhat spicy dish, but it's not one of those curries that really relies on the fiery heat as a core component. You can definitely get away with making it milder if desired.

Baingan Bhindi ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 225g frozen sliced okra
• 1 small eggplant (225-275g), peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro¹

Directions

1. Heat the oil ove medium heat.
2. Add the onion and chilies, cover, and cook until the onion is soft and well-browned (10-15 minutes).
3. Add the okra and cook until okra gets a bit of colour on it (10-15 minutes longer).
4. Add the eggplant, salt, fenugree, mustard, and turmeric and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
6. Cook, uncovered, until sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
7. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until veggies are tender (~5 minutes more).
8. Sprinkle with cilantro (if using) and serve.

---

¹ I omitted the cilantro in my rendition of this curry because I knew that it might be served to someone who has the "cilantro tastes like soap" thing going on. It's one of those things that's nice as a garnish for a bit of extra colour and flavour, but not hugely necessary in this particular case. Two tablespoons is a pretty finishing touch, but doesn't make a huge difference to the final dish, so you can safely leave it out if necessary. ^Back